The relatives and supporters of Laci Peterson are among the concerned voices in California who are rallying against a new parole board policy. This controversial rule would allow for the possibility of resentencing or clemency recommendations for individuals convicted of heinous crimes, such as serial killing and mass shootings, who are currently serving life without parole. This policy is set to be enacted later this year.

“We’re addressing individuals who would have faced the death penalty,” remarked Anne Marie Schubert, a former District Attorney from Sacramento. She currently leads the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation (CJLF) as its president and CEO. This nonprofit, nonpartisan organization has initiated legal action against the newly proposed policy.

“We are spotlighting those who have killed police officers and infants,” Schubert emphasized. “Recently, we highlighted a heartbreaking case at our press conference, involving a six-week-old who suffered a torturous death at the hands of her father over a week, with the gruesome acts caught on video. These are the baby killers we’re referring to. Then there are the mass shooters, like the man in Fresno in the early ’90s who took ten lives and accepted a life sentence without parole. Under this policy, he might qualify for consideration.”

“Mass shooters, serial killers, cop killers—this encompasses individuals whose crimes are so severe that the public readily acknowledges them as the worst offenders, now possibly eligible for reconsideration.”

Schubert singled out some high-profile prisoners serving life without parole:

Scott Peterson was convicted of killing his pregnant wife Laci and their unborn son after she vanished on Christmas Eve in 2002. Gang member David Hill fatally shot San Francisco Police Officer Isaac Espinoza in 2004 and wounded his partner. Darryl Lamar Collins was 24 when he killed two people in 1995 but was granted early release in 2017 thanks to changes in California’s youthful offender parole law — only to kill his girlfriend Fatima Johnson less than a year later. They are among thousands who could potentially benefit from the new regulations, Schubert said.

According to Schubert, the board exceeded its statutory authority by using the bureaucratic rulemaking process to create a resentencing and clemency review system for prisoners sentenced to life without parole, a plan that California’s Office of Administrative Law approved on July 9.

“The main primary arguments deal with the fact that one, they don’t have the legal authority to do this, that this is an administrative bureaucratic agency that’s trying to rewrite the legislature, that they’re trying to rewrite sentencing laws that came out of ballot initiatives,” she said. “And really, this is a violation of what we call Marsy’s Law, which is a constitutional provision that supports the finality of judgments for victims in California.”

The CJLF, along with a coalition of victims’ families and nonprofit groups, filed the lawsuit in an effort to stop the board’s new policy before it goes into effect in October.

“The Board…has taken it upon itself to expand this recommendation authority into a full-blown system of reviews and hearings paralleling and resembling the system of parole hearings — the system that the people of California voted to curb in Marsy’s Law, Proposition 9 of 2008, due to the prolonged suffering it imposes on crime victims and their families,” reads the petition, filed in Sacramento’s Superior Court on July 15.

“The Board has extended this parallel system to include inmates convicted of first degree murder with special circumstances sentenced to life without parole, despite initiative statutes mandating life without parole as the minimum sentence for this crime and forbidding the striking of special circumstances.”

In addition to alleging the new regulations run contrary to California law, the petition raises concerns that the new process would force victims’ families to repeatedly relive traumatic cases that were supposed to be over.

CJLF is working with the victims of some of California’s most notorious murder cases, including Sharon Rocha, the mother of Laci Peterson.

“My daughter, Laci, was eight months pregnant when she and my unborn grandson, Conner, were murdered,” Rocha said in a statement. “Scott Peterson was initially sentenced to death. After his death sentence was overturned, he was resentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Our family believed that sentence would finally bring some measure of certainty. Victims should not have to spend the rest of their lives wondering whether the person responsible will receive another opportunity for release. Justice demands finality.”

Peterson has maintained his innocence for decades and is still fighting his conviction in court. The California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence but has upheld his murder convictions. Prosecutors have opposed his claims and say the evidence against him is “overwhelming.”

When Peterson’s death sentence was reduced to life without parole in 2021, Laci’s close friend Kim Juarez said she reluctantly accepted it because she believed it still meant he would never walk free.

“The only certainty that we had when Scott was put away was that he wasn’t ever going to get out,” she told News Media in a phone interview. “That’s what, to me, is aggravating.”

Juarez described the last two decades as the repeated removal of scabs as Laci’s friends and family have watched appeals, a resentencing and now another potential avenue that could eventually lead to Peterson’s freedom.

“In a world where nothing is guaranteed and in something so big, we are guaranteed to never see Laci and Conner again. That’s never going to happen,” Juarez said. “The person that took her away — we just want to stick to what was handed down to him. This isn’t about punishing him further. It’s just about sticking to what was handed down to him.”

Juarez described trauma that extended well outside of the courtroom and the legal process. Years after Peterson’s conviction, she was pregnant with her own first child. But she found herself gripped by the fear that what happened to her friend could happen to her.

“I was about six months pregnant and I said, ‘If you decide that this isn’t the life you want, don’t kill me. Just let me go,'” she told her husband, a firefighter she’d met while handing out missing person flyers.

Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant on Christmas Eve in 2002, when she went missing from her Modesto home. Peterson was charged with killing her and their unborn son, Conner, when their bodies washed up months later in the San Francisco Bay.

“There was life before this happened and there’s life after this happened — this will always be a part of our lives,” Juarez said. “Every Christmas, my family decorates a miniature Christmas tree for her.”

But Juarez said Scott Peterson continues to cast a shadow over those close to Laci.

“She’s never forgotten, and we want to make her the focus of all of these memories, but it’s like he’s the cloud that hangs over it,” Juarez said. “The likelihood of him getting out, I don’t know what the likelihood is, but the fact that it’s on the table, that it is a possibility, is scary in itself.”

The dispute is also playing out against the backdrop of an unsuccessful effort in the California Legislature last year to expand parole eligibility for some younger inmates serving life without parole.

“Last year there was a bill, it was called SB 672, that… tried to achieve a similar goal of letting life without parole out, but they limited that to people under 26,” Schubert said. “They could not get that bill through the legislature…. So in lieu of that, they backdoor it, and they go through a bureaucratic process that’s not just under 26, it’s everybody.”

The board, in public filings, countered that there’s nothing in existing state law that blocks it from doing so.

“Penal Code sections 1172.1 and 4801 do not exclude individuals sentenced to life without the possibility of parole from consideration by the Board for recommendation of commutation or resentencing,” the board wrote in response to a concerned citizen who protested the new policy on inmates serving life without parole.

“Rather, these statutes grant the Board discretion to evaluate these cases and determine whether referral to the sentencing court or the Governor is appropriate. Had the Legislature intended to bar this population from consideration under either statute, it would have done so.”

Schubert, however, disagreed with that interpretation.

“The law says in California they can write regulations related to parole,” she told News Media. “That’s the word, ‘parole.’ Well, they don’t get parole for life without parole.”

Neither the parole board nor the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation responded to a request for comment.

Navigating New York City is nothing short of an athletic endeavor. Every day, locals find themselves weaving through throngs of distracted tourists and making mad dashes to catch the next train.

The hustle and bustle of city life require a unique set of skills—strength, endurance, balance, and fast reflexes—not unlike those showcased by competitors on “American Gladiators.” Therefore, who better to guide New Yorkers through their daily urban trials than one of the series’ own formidable warriors?

Lu Faustin, renowned by fans as Empire on the Amazon Prime revival of the famed competition, equates surviving in New York to partaking in “an unofficial sport,” as he shared with The Post.

Hailing from Brooklyn, Faustin brings a wealth of experience as a professional bodybuilder and certified personal trainer. As a member of a formidable roster of 16 Gladiators—including wrestlers, CrossFit enthusiasts, and former Division 1 athletes—he challenges everyday participants vying for a $100,000 jackpot.

Competing on the show involves navigating through grueling, physically taxing events that test fitness and strategic thinking, all while Gladiators strive to thwart their progress. This blend of obstacle navigation and adaptability parallels the skills needed to thrive in the urban jungle.

“You gotta have strength,” she said about everyday New Yorkers. “You gotta be quick and hang tough. You gotta be able to take some hits and dodge some hits.”

Here are some of the most common everyday obstacles we face — and how to conquer them like a pro.

1. Master the luggage stair climb

If you’ve ever schlepped a suitcase through Broadway Junction, you know the struggle.

The sprawling Brooklyn subway station is notorious for its steep, three-level climb, featuring about five flights of stairs nicknamed “Stairway to Heaven” (or Hell, depending on the direction) and no public elevators.

It’s an especially grueling trek for travelers heading to JFK, but Faustin might inspire naysayers to reconsider.

“It’s expensive living here, rent is high,” she said. “So take advantage of every obstacle that presents itself to you when you are outside. That’s your gym.” 

Instead of dreading the climb, think of it as a free StairMaster workout.

Like squats, lunges and step ups, safely carrying luggage up and down stairs starts with a solid foundation. Keep your heels and toes planted firmly, maintain a neutral spine and drive through your heels as you climb.

“Focus more so on engaging your glutes,” she said. “Everything should move smoothly.” 

Another option? If your back feels strong and you’re carrying the weight evenly, either hold the suitcase to your center or pick it up and power your way up or down the stairs.

“It really just makes you feel better,” she said. “Maybe not in the moment, but who doesn’t like a nice sculpted butt?”

2. Balance like a subway pro

Standing on a moving subway without grabbing a pole is one of New York’s sneakiest fitness tests.

“You really don’t know when the conductor is going to slam on the brakes,” she said. “You’re going to go flying and you don’t want that.”

If you’re standing hands-free — whether to avoid touching the poles or because every seat is taken — core strength becomes your best friend.

“You should really be focusing on keeping everything firm, compact and stacked — your ribs, your abs, your waist,” explained Faustin. “You should be hunkered down like someone is going to punch you, or like you’re doing a standing crunch.”

Crunches and sit-ups aren’t the only way to build a stronger core. Plenty of strength exercises, including bicep curls, tricep extensions, shoulder press and leg press, require the same bracing technique.

Breathing correctly is just as important.

Faustin recommends learning proper diaphragmatic breathing from a qualified breathwork instructor, but beginners can practice by lying down, placing a hand over their belly and taking deep breaths so the stomach rises — before exhaling until the belly button draws toward the spine.

“Breathwork is something that more people should take advantage of because it truly does make a difference in how you brace and engage your core,” she said.

3. Carrying groceries without wearing yourself out

Like plenty of lifelong New Yorkers, Faustin never learned to rely on a car. Hauling groceries home on public transit was simply part of life.

“I personally refuse to make two trips to and from the grocery store,” she said. “So you have to be able to find that strength to do one trip, no excuses.”

The movement closely resembles that of pull-ups, dead hangs and farmer carries, exercises that challenge grip strength by forcing your forearms to work overtime while holding heavy loads.

And as challenging as the city can be, it can also assist you in taking on these tasks.

“If you don’t have access to a gym, go outside to your local scaffolding and get some pull-ups in,” she said.  

4. Turn your walks into cardio workouts

Faustin logs roughly eight to 10 miles a day — something she says many New Yorkers don’t even realize they’re doing until they leave the city.

“Walking around the city alone will absolutely build your endurance,” she said.

Want to make your commute feel more like a training? Then turn it into a game, recommends Faustin: Spot someone walking ahead and challenge yourself to catch up.

“You pass them, you pass the next one and you do it over and over again,” she said. “They don’t need to know that they are in a competition with you. Treat it like a secret little game.”

She also advises investing in supportive walking shoes with good arch support and ankle stability, strengthening the ankles strong and showing your feet some love afterward with a foam roller, firm ball or a relaxing soak.

In a bold rejection, former President Donald Trump dismissed Tehran’s prerequisites for the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He asserted that Iran must first address a pertinent issue: compensating the United States for years of alleged hostile actions.

Iran, meanwhile, is calling for the withdrawal of U.S. military presence from the region while also seeking reparations for damage caused. These terms have long been a non-starter for Washington.

Trump’s counter-demand was clear: Iran should pay for decades of attacks allegedly supported by its regime. He highlighted the tragic impact of roadside bombs and broader conflicts.

On Truth Social, he elaborated further, “In addition, compensation is owed to the families of countless protesters—numbering in the hundreds of thousands over the last 50 years—that Iran has reportedly killed, not excluding the 52,000 lost in just the past five months.”

“I have directed my representatives to make this a cornerstone of any forthcoming negotiations,” he stated, leaving no room for ambiguity in his stance.

The President’s comments come after US agencies have blamed Iran for cyber attacks across more than a dozen states over the past month. 

In late July, US intelligence officials believe that Iranian regime hackers hit a water utility in western Arkansas as part of the wider campaign, according to the Washington Post. 

Suspected Iran-linked cyberattacks have also struck water systems in a dozen states, including Michigan, Minnesota, Georgia, New Jersey and South Dakota, sources told CBS News, with more than 30 community systems breached in Minnesota alone.

Hackers forced Georgia authorities in the Atlanta area to issue a boil water advisory after their intrusion caused a sudden drop in water pressure. 

In several cases, the hackers gained remote access to pumps, valves and pressure settings and forced utilities to switch to manual mode, but officials say the attacks have had no impact on drinking water. 

Iran’s targeted attacks on the US homeland occur as Trump’s war in the Middle East approaches six months. 

Since the start of the Iran blockade, US Central Command has reported it has turned away 53 commercial vessels, while shipping data shows no tankers have loaded at Kharg Island.

That pressure has yet to translate into concessions, even as Iranian inflation hit an annual 88.6 percent in late June and the government asks citizens to ration electricity.

At home, Deputy War Secretary Steve Feinberg gave arms manufacturers 21 days to come back with plans for ‘significantly faster’ deliveries or expanded production lines, according to a memo first reported by the Washington Post.

Military experts believe Patriot interceptor stocks have fallen at least 65 percent from pre-war levels, with THAAD inventories down by more than a third.

Trump has publicly rejected the shortage reporting, insisting on Truth Social last week that American stockpiles remain enormous and that production is running at full tilt.

Hegseth, for his part, told Republicans last month that refusing to fund the department at $1.5trillion represents the single greatest danger facing the country.

His warning failed to move GOP lawmakers who are now openly splintering with the White House over a war entering its sixth month with 17 American troops dead.

Tragedy struck the YouTube community as a 27-year-old Mormon content creator lost his life in a car accident in Utah, mere hours after posting a video reflecting on thoughts about the afterlife.

Chandler David Hendry, an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reportedly ran a red light and impacted two cars in Lehi, according to KUTV. His vehicle was traveling west when the collision occurred.

The incident unfolded as Hendry’s car intercepted two vehicles at an intersection — one heading north and the other south.

Tragically, Hendry was not utilizing a seat belt during the accident and was later pronounced dead at a nearby medical facility, just shy of his second wedding anniversary, reported by Deseret News.

Thankfully, the crash did not result in any other significant injuries to those involved.

Hendry, who had over 70,000 followers on social media, was the founder of the Restored Truth podcast – a nod to the idea that God re-established the gospel of Jesus after teachings had become corrupt. 

He often ended his videos with “The Restored Truth is that God has never stopped reaching out to humanity. He continues to reveal, guide and pursue a relationship with us today. 

“So remember: Keep your knees on the ground and your eyes toward heaven!”

He died just hours after attending the FAIR conference in Lehi – a three-day event that answers questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

The final video shared on his Instagram was a reflection of that event, where he commented on a picture of the afterlife which was presented by Anthony Sweat at the conference. 

The illustration showed one line in the center and several lines coming off each side. 

“That is what the eternities will look like,” Hendry said in the video.

“A link of the family unit of God.” 

It refers to the teaching that families will be together after death.

Before his death, Hendry, affectionately known as “Chuck,” had organized an event for young members of the church gearing up to take part in missions.

The event went ahead on Saturday and it turned into a memorial event with his relatives recounting stories. 

Hendry’s dad Chad recalled how his son wasn’t initially enthusiastic about public speaking.

When the “bishop asked him to speak as a senior in high school, he said ‘no,’” Chad told the audience at the Orem, Utah, event.

But his attitude changed after his first mission in Jackson, Mississippi.

“You will speak in the name of Christ and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ,” Hendry was told, according to his dad.

Tributes have poured in following his death. 

“In this world where so many Latter Day Saints are apologizing for their faith, Chandler stood firm, and didn’t back down,” fellow member Sarah Clark, who describes herself as a “bold and unapologetic” content creator, wrote on X.

“May we all be more like him, proclaiming the truth continually.” 

Chase Dahl told how he was inspired by Hendry to take his faith more seriously.

Doltan Williams, the founder of the Unashamed Truth platform, said Hendry “led by example and inspired us all to live our faith more boldly.”

“Thank you for being the epitome of what a brother meant,” Hendry sister Chaleigh Rowley said,

“Thank you for loving me through all these phases of life we both endured. thank you for being at all my important milestones.

“Your light here on this earth will be missed. Your energy, your smile, your laugh, will be remembered daily. it’s left us too soon.”

And his wife, Analynn, said, “He was the best person that I knew.

“I felt God’s love for me through him every single day.” 

In a gripping twist during Lindsay Clancy’s highly publicized murder trial, it was revealed that her psychiatrist had escalated her medication dosage merely a day before the tragic incident where she allegedly suffocated her children. This revelation was shared with jurors, setting the stage for an intense day in the courtroom.

Dr. Jennifer Tufts, the psychiatrist responsible for Clancy’s treatment, took the stand at the Plymouth County Superior Court in Massachusetts on Monday. A key figure in the case, Dr. Tufts had been prescribing a variety of medications to Clancy in the crucial four months leading up to the fateful event. The defense team seized the opportunity to rigorously question her during the proceedings.

Throughout an exhaustive and contentious series of inquiries, Dr. Tufts conceded that she continued prescribing Clancy additional medications despite Clancy’s increasing anxiety. Clancy, a mother of three, had confided that her medication regimen seemed to be exacerbating her depression, rather than alleviating it.

Just over a week before the tragic deaths on January 16, 2023, Dr. Tufts prescribed Clancy the antidepressant Amitriptyline. This decision emerged as a focal point in understanding the treatment trajectory preceding the incident.

On that same day, Clancy described feeling emotionally detached and deeply depressed. She expressed that her interactions with her infant felt unnatural and strained, bringing to light the complexities of her mental state in those critical days.

Then, on January 23, Dr Tufts saw Clancy for an appointment one final time. In that meeting, she increased her dosage of the drug.

Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington hit out at this decision with an impassioned line of questioning.

‘That pushed her over the edge didn’t it?’ he said. 

‘I don’t think so,’ Dr Tufts snapped back.

It was around 24 hours later when Clancy was accused of murdering her children – Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months – inside the family home in the wealthy coastal suburb of Duxbury.

On the evening of January 24, 2023, the former delivery nurse strangled the children with exercise bands in the basement, before she cut her own wrists and neck and jumped from a second-floor window in a suicide attempt.

The 35-year-old has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to three counts of first-degree murder, arguing she was suffering from severe postpartum depression and psychosis at the time.

 The defense has argued that Clancy was severely overmedicated, having been prescribed 13 different medications from multiple providers in the four months before the killings.

Inside the packed courtroom on Monday morning, Dr Tufts faced a heated grilling from Clancy’s attorney about her treatment of the mom-of-three.

Dr Tufts began treating Clancy in September 2022, seeing her 14 times between then and January 24, 2023.

Throughout her care, she prescribed her multiple different medications including antidepressants, antipsychotics, anti-anxiety and sleep medications.

On Friday, Dr Tufts testified for hours about her work with Clancy, saying that she never saw any signs of psychosis in the former nurse – even in their last appointment one day prior to the killings.

But under a fiery cross-examination on Monday, Dr Tufts admitted that she had never even seen Clancy in person. Instead, all 14 appointments took place over Zoom.

‘Until you came into this courtroom Friday you never saw this woman did you?’ Reddington exclaimed.

‘Correct,’ Dr Tufts responded quietly.

The defense attorney also picked holes in Dr Tufts’s experience as a psychiatrist.

Jurors learned that Dr Tufts had only completed her four-year residency at Boston Medical School in 2022.

She started working as a practicing psychiatrist at Aster Health and got her individual DEA license to prescribe medication in August 2022.

It was only one month later, on September 15, that she had her first appointment with Clancy.

Dr Tufts also admitted that she had never worked with a patient suffering from postpartum psychosis.

 Yet, Reddington claimed that Clancy had reached out to Dr Tufts because she advertised herself as a specialist in postpartum mental health.

He suggested the doctor had ‘misrepresented’ her experience when she only had ‘a month under your belt.’

In that very first online meeting, the psychiatrist prescribed Clancy the antidepressant Zoloft.

By October, Clancy reported several side effects from the drug. Her insomnia had become worse and she was more depressed, Dr Tufts said.

Clancy was ‘crying all day,’ suffered mental fog, didn’t want to eat, was ‘terrified’ to start any new medications and was paranoid about getting suicidal thoughts.

Clancy also told her she ‘didn’t want to be left alone,’ Dr Tufts testified.

Clancy’s mom Paula Musgrove ended up staying with her daughter and son-in-law Patrick Clancy to help her.

As the months went on, Dr Tufts continued to prescribe Clancy medication through their Zoom appointments.

And Clancy was also receiving treatment – and more drugs – from other providers.

Yet, Dr Tufts conceded, the different medical providers did not communicate with each other.

At no point did she ask Clancy to sign a release form so that she could access her medical records and speak to her other doctors.

Dr Tufts testified that Clancy had been very cooperative and seemed able to advocate for herself so she felt she could simply rely on the information she gave her.

On Monday, jurors also heard from Julie Paul, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who treated Clancy briefly in November 2022.

Paul ran a postpartum program and connected with Clancy through Patrick’s mother Sue Clancy, who was also a nurse.

In November, Paul prescribed Clancy Prozac – followed by a one-time dose of Ambien, as well as Remeron and Klonopin, to replace the Prozac.

In late-November, Paul transferred Clancy’s care to another nurse because she was transferring from the hospital.

The trial will resume on Tuesday morning with the defense’s cross-examination of Paul.

If convicted, Clancy faces life in prison without parole. If found not guilty by reason of insanity, she will be sent to a psychiatric hospital.